Snow blankets town

link Staff photo: Tony Bullocks

Duane Chase clears his driveway Saturday morning on Chanticleer Place.

The worst weather seemed to bring out the best in a lot of folks digging out Saturday from a crazy overnight snow ranging from 8 to 12 inches across the region.

There were stories of neighbors cruising in four-wheel drive much of the night and day, stopping to help drivers stranded in the mess.

Shortly after noon, four state Department of Transportation blade trucks loaded with salt were seen stopping westbound on Llano Estacado in Clovis to help an eastbound motorist who had spun out on the slick road and wound up in a ditch on the west side. The drivers lined their trucks end-to-end to surround the car and ensure no more accidents as they helped the unhurt motorist get her vehicle pulled free.

Clovis city crews scrambled, working 12-hour shifts to open up at least the main artery streets, according to City Manager Joe Thomas, who measured 9 inches of snow in his front drive. Thomas said work to clear main streets would continue today and neighborhood streets won’t likely see a plow until Monday.

Police Chief Steve Sanders said crashes were minimal and police officers did spend a lot of time Friday night and Saturday either pulling or pushing drivers stuck in the snow to freedom.

Nine blade trucks and their drivers started early, working 10-hour shifts to try and clear the main roads in Curry County, socked in by a foot of snow, according to Curry County’s Interim Roads Superintendent David Corbin.

“There’s been a few cars in the ditch here and there, but overall it’s not bad,” said Corbin. “I think a lot of people just stayed home.”

As the city, the county planned to continue plowing today and Monday.

It was a crazy day. A day of whining tires spinning hopelessly on cars mired to their frames, neighbors helping with a push or shoveling and older neighbor’s walk.

Snowmen rose from the perfect for packing snowfall. Snowballs were tossed. Stores sold out of shovels, salt and de-icer almost as quickly as someone managed to get to the business and get it opened.

“We sold out of snow shovels early this morning,” said Burns Do It Yourself hardware Manager George Archibeque. “We’re sold out of the de-icer, too. It didn’t take long ... within the first hour we opened.”

The sun did pop out and stay, warming things up from the deep freeze of the past few days and melting some of the snow. No moisture is expected for at least the first half of the week.

Forecasters are expecting high temperatures close to 50 on Monday and Tuesday.

A high of 35 is forecast for today.